Table of Contents

RKYV # 41 {Oct. 2010} World View Non-Fiction?

- “A Canadian Living in the - “The last Footsteps to 2012”
RKYV ONLINE LOGO – USA” - By CS Cartier
David Marshall {current} - By Tom Rossini
r. j. paré {modified} Poetry
Roy G. James {original} Indie Comic - By Larissa Gula, Wanda
- “Different Unlike Us - VanHoy Smith, r. j. paré, CS
Virtual Cover # 41 Emotions” Cartier
- Art by Joey Maas - Written by Darke Raven, Art
- Layout by David Marshall by Yum Yum Pop Culture
- “Comic Book Review”
Interior Art Featured Artist Review - By Brad Bellmore
- By r. j. paré, Joey Maas, De - “Joey Maas”
Tourist, Mike Grattan, James - By r. j. paré - “Manga Maximus”
‘Jig-One’ Titman, Larissa Gula - By Darke Raven
Short Fiction
Editorial Column - “The Dream Wiz’s Girl” - “Raised on Saturday Morning
- “At the Outset: A Few - by Larissa Gula Cartoons”
Thoughts from the Editor” - By Pauline Paré
- By r. j. paré

Christina Aguilera – by James ‘Jig-One’ Titman

 At the Outset:
A few thoughts from
the editor
by r. j. paré

October
And kingdoms rise
And kingdoms fall
But you go on.
U2

The October Crisis

No, I am not about to launch into a diatribe on
Canadian History & Politics. Trust there will be
no mention of the FLQ or the right honorable Mr.
Trudeau found within this editorial. Err… Umm…
well that is other than just mentioning that I
won’t be mentioning them. Grr… Never mind.

Anyhow the crisis at hand refers to my distinct

lack of forethought when dealing with my auto
lease. See, the thing is – they run out. Now I
fully intended to return the vehicle in question
just as soon as I had made other arrangements.
Then of course you get busy with one thing and
another. Long story short – the car company
won’t wait forever. Those nice folks decided to
save me the mental burden of figuring out when
to return their vehicle by stopping by one early
morning and taking it off my hands. Of course,
the fact that I still had many belongings in the
van now meant I had a 2 hour trip ahead of me
in order to recover all my stuff and no vehicle
with which to make said trip. LOL. Thank the big
guy upstairs for really good friends. The goalie
on my rec ball hockey team offered to lend me
his car for a few days while I made arrangements
Phe Sunrise – by De Tourist
to get my things and acquire a new set of wheels.
I am one lucky dude and Jeff, buddy you are The Man!
As 2010 hits the “back-stretch,” also known as the Holiday shopping season, we here @
RKYV are busy assembling some über-cool short stories, art, poetry & columns together for
you to enjoy [What else? We’re not on an assembly line here – LOL]. This month we are
featuring art-lit submissions received for October 2010.

And we do have some fun stuff.

 Tom Rossini exams “Controversial Issues” in his latest

“A Canadian Living in the USA” column.
 Larissa Gula pens the short story “The Dream Wiz’s Girl” – a morality tale involving
supernatural judgment.
 CS Cartier continues his series of articles examining the basis for so many recent
doom-prophecies in “The Last Footsteps to 2012”.
 Brad Bellmore, Darke Raven & Pauline Paré provide insightful reviews of comics,
manga and television in our “Pop Culture” segment.
 Also, some damn fine pieces of art & poetry have been submitted recently, from
authors and artists credited throughout this issue and it is my pleasure to share them
with all of you - RKYV readers, fans and fellow contributors!

This month’s RKYV features the talented Joey Maas. His photo-inspired pop culture
paintings are pretty darn slick and he was gracious enough to sit down with us for an
interview, recently – I hope you all enjoy learning a bit more about him and his amazing
work in our “Featured Artist of the Month” segment. Our intrepid assistant editor, David
Marshall, designed the cover to this month’s issue of RKYV ONLINE. Now originally he was
a bit too swamped with other stuff [like his actual job & having a life] but as you can see,
in the end he came through. Kudos dude. [Good thing too, flip to the last page for a
glimpse at what might have been! Yikes..:) ]

See next ish…

r. j. paré

The bird's with me – by De Tourist

Untitled sketch – by Santiago London
 World View

A Canadian,
Living in the USA
by Tom Rossini

Controversial Issues

I was doing some thinking the other day when I had a few minutes of peace and quiet as
the lovely wife took the kids out for some trick or treating. I was sitting with a friend
giving out candy and she stated that they did not care for Hallowe’en and wished it would
go away. This of course was after seeing Freddy Kruger for the 13th time. She went on to
say that we should be celebrating All Souls Day and All Saints Day more so then
Hallowe’en. It made me think how true that is being of Catholic faith ... so why is it like
this here in the USA / Canada. We talked about this a little bit in between the ohhh's and
ahhh's as the kiddies came by in their cute costumes saying "trick or treat" and we both
came to the conclusion that every single
topic can be debated and on every single
topic another person can have a different
viewpoint. What makes it maddening is
that majority rules.

Let me further explain something

else first. "The New World" is one of the
few places where you can share these
thoughts freely, without legal
repercussions in most situations. I then
thought to myself “is this ability truly
worth it?” We have fought to keep our
right to free speech [through wars], we
have fought for our rights in the
courts and we have fought for our rights in
all forms of communication. But have your
ever stepped back to really think of all the
controversial issues there are? I grabbed
a pen and started writing some down...
Biggie Smalls – by James ‘Jig-One’ Titman
  Abortion, adoption, affirmative
action, alcohol, animal rights,
biological weapons, capital
punishment, censorship, cloning,
drug legalization, endangered
species, environment, euthanasia,
genetic engineering, global
warming, gun control, health care,
sexuality, human rights,
immigration, internet privacy,
media ethics, middle east,
pornography, prayer and sex ed...
The list seems to never end and
neither do the debates. Is it a
wonder that nothing ever seems to
get done.

by Sam van der Wouden

– a piece from her Tuyter Gallery collection

At work, it seems that whenever an idea is brought up we need to think about it, sniff it
and walk around it 3 times before we lie down on it. This report needs to be run that
report needs to be run and this expense report needs to be run - all for what???

So my thought the other day was... Is this the kind of society I want??

Is this my kind of Utopia?? The more I think about it the more I wish I was on an island in
the Caribbean where I could fish and swim and have a few cold ones. Instead of reading
postings on facebook discussing how the US Military may have finally gotten their way with
Omar Khadr case. Love ya Randy.

Respectfully submitted 

Editor’s Note: I completely agree with

Tom’s sentiment. We are suffering under
an overload of media-fueled controversy.
Recently 300, 000 folks [approx.] got
together in Washington for this very
reason. John Stewart’s “Rally to
Restore Sanity” was organized to
encourage people to take a breath, calm
down and realize that when someone
disagrees with you there is no need to
demonize them [which is de rigueur in
media sensationalism]. To truly enjoy
our free society we need to stop viewing
our conversations as polarized enemy
positions.

Liberty – by James ‘Jig-One’ Titman

Floral Commission – by Tindersen B. Hoopdriver
 Indie Comic

Different Unlike Us
by Darke Raven
Dita, Pretty in Pink – by Mike Grattan
Featured Artist Review
Joey Maas
by r. j. paré

Intro: Joey is a talented modern artist from Portland, Oregon,

United States. His paintings are masterful examples of blending
subject [photo], media [acrylic] and surface [canvas, plywood] in
entertaining and evocative ways. The term ‘Pop-Art’ just does not
convey the breadth of style and design present in these photo-
inspired impressions.

r.j.p: Have you always known that you wanted to be or, rather, were an artist?

JM: Well, I've always known that I needed to create something, but I didn't start painting
until about 2 years ago. I was always pretty decent at most things creative, and had no
interest in things like sports or cars, or whatever the other kids in school were doing… I
became interested in art, punk rock music, and skateboarding in the mid-80's, which
where I grew up, weren't things that more than maybe 5 people were into. I was definitely
the outcast in my high school.

Artist’s Name: Joey Maas

Title: Malcolm McDowell / Alex
Media Used: Laminate Flooring
Size: 24” x 28”

r.j.p: The choice of surface/backing for

this rendering of the cult classic bad-
boy quite helps creates a triptych piece
that would be perfect in anyone’s den
or home theatre.

JM: The styling of A Clockwork

Orange makes it easily one of my
favourite movies ever.
r.j.p: Did you study or major in art while in school?

JM: I did in my early years of high school, but I didn't take any formal college courses or
any classes after that. I started high school in a really small town in South Dakota, which
had a fantastic art program. I pretty much took every art course that I possibly could at
that school. This was good, because in my junior year we moved to another town with a
terrible art program and an awful instructor who forced us to paint scenery paintings and
hated my work. He would belittle me every chance he got. ...Thanks for nothing Mr.
Monahan.

Artist’s Name: Joey Maas

Title: Sonic Youth
Media Used:
Acrylic on Plywood
Size: 24” x 24”

r.j.p: A fun ‘far out’ visit to a

60’s style psychedelia. The
painting was so much fun it
inspired to me tried my hand
at adapting it for this month’s
cover [much to Dave, the
assistant editor and primo
cover designer’s chagrin - as
my effort included so many
manip-FX that it apparently
hurt his retinas - LOL]. For a
good laugh, flip to the last
page of this month’s issue if
you’d like to see it.

JM: This is a commission piece for a good friend of mine. She wanted a Sonic Youth
painting, but didn't want one of their more popular promo shots. I found this photo, and
knew it was the one. It's pretty weird, but it's nice to take a little bit of a break from
traditional portrait work.

r.j.p: Who was your primary source of encouragement, as a child, in pursuing art?

JM: Honestly, I was much more discouraged rather than encouraged. My parents split up
when I was young, and I lived with my mom. She was never too supportive of my choices
to play music and make art. To this day, I don't think she's ever taken a look at my art
blog, and when I talk to her, her first question is always, "Are you making any money?"
I'd like to do a painting for her sometime, but I fear it would end up in the closet as soon
as I left their house.
On the other hand, my father's side of the family has been very supportive in recent
years. It seems like they're so proud of me, regardless of how much money I'm making.
They really seem to understand what I'm trying to do, and It means a lot when your family
respects what you striving for.

Artist’s Name: Joey Maas

Title: Café Racer
Media Used: Acrylic on Plywood
Size: 42” x 24”

r.j.p: What is your favourite media to work with?

JM: Acrylic by far. I've been wanting to try my hand at oils again, but I'm a really
impatient person, and I think I would get annoyed by the drying time. Plus, I know I'd
bump it with my elbow or something and smear a part I've been working on for hours.
Which would probably result in me screaming at a canvas for the rest of the afternoon, and
nobody wants to see that. Especially me.

r.j.p: Do you use any special tools and techniques to create your art?

JM: Nothing too out of the ordinary, as far as the actual painting process goes. Pencil,
brushes, paint, etc. I like to paint on different types of backing as much as I can. Canvas,
plywood, laminate flooring, masonite, whatever I can find that's smooth enough to work
on. I have a big slab of granite I'd love to do something on, but I have no idea how to
hang it.
 Artist’s Name: Joey Maas
Title: Dr. Strangelove
Media Used: Acrylic on Plywood
Size: 24” x 24”

r.j.p: What inspires you to create art?

JM: Well, I find inspiration everywhere,

but the initial reason I started painting
again was because I was renting a terribly
ugly bedroom here in Portland. We're
talking brown carpet, and wood paneling,
and it's about the only thing I could do to
somehow make it tolerable. I've always
been into interior design, especially
modern, and mid-century modern styles,
so that was a big influence on my first
pieces.

I just want to do work that people would love to hang in their living room.

r.j.p: How would you categorize your artistic style?

JM: I guess traditional pop art, with a little splash of design, and sometimes a retro
theme. I wouldn't exactly call it groundbreaking, but some people seem to enjoy it.

r.j.p: Would you say that there is a "message" or "unifying theme" in your work?

JM: I tend to paint for aesthetics rather than to make a sociological statement, I really
respect people who really convey a message through their work, but to me, that's what
music is for, and I feel very fortunate to be able to do both music and art. I'm sure if
music was never a part of my life, my paintings would be quite different. I really respect
Banksy for his integration of pop art and politics. Whether you like his work or not, he's
really quite genius, and I think he deserves every bit of the success he's received.

r.j.p: Which famous artists / creators or styles have influenced you? Why?

JM: I can only really think of two artists that I would consider famous. Early in my high
school drawing stage, it was definitely Pushead. He did a lot of work for some of my
favourite punk bands, as well as for Zorlac Skateboards. I grew up reading Thrasher
magazine, so he was always right in my face. I basically started drawing because I was
copying skateboard graphics and record covers, and to this day, if I sit down to draw a
random picture from my head, it turns out like a Pushead piece. Another popular artist I
really like is Josh Agle, or Shag, as he's better known.
He's certainly influenced me in recent years. His pieces all tell a story, while remaining
very stylish. But actually, the artists I really identify with and push me to do cleaner work
are people like Mike Grattan, and James "Jig-One" Titman. They're not famous, but
they certainly should be. Those damn Brits are kicking ass in the pop art scene. It's really
cool, because they're both so nice. We're all friends on Facebook, and give each other a lot
of support. I'd love to do a group show with them someday. Viva La Revolution!!!

r.j.p: Would you rather be showcased in a hip, local gallery show or work on a financially
successful & profitable advertising campaign? [The old Art vs Commerce question]

JM: Hell, I'll take it all. My dream is to be where Shag is right now. He's selling a ton of
work, gets great gallery shows, and dabbles in the corporate world, but only on his own
terms. I guess if I had to choose, I'd go for the hip gallery artist thing. I wouldn't have to
deal with licensing and legal issues, plus there's generally a party involved at a gallery
show.

Artist’s Name: Joey Maas

Title: Robert DeNiro
Media Used: Acrylic on
Masonite
Size: 28” x 36”

r.j.p: The brash colour

perfectly suits this striking
scene from a bloody good
film.

JM: One of my favourite scenes, from one of my all time favourite movies.

r.j.p: With advancements in computer graphic tablet technology, some artists are now
creating their work directly in the digital medium and releasing it in purely digital formats...
are the days of canvas, paper & pulp doomed to the realm of fading memories?

JM: That's a tough one. I guess I just don't get the digital art thing. I mean, I can see if
it's for a website, or video game, or for something that is specifically a computer based
format, but art in the classic term is not dead. You can't hang digital artwork on your wall,
or thankfully, at least not yet. In my opinion, if art is only released digitally, it loses all of
its value. It can be stolen, reproduced, and distributed by anyone at any time. I'm very
thankful to have grown up before the computer age was in full swing.
r.j.p: What do you think of the term "starving artist"?

JM: Man, I live that term. I'm not really offended by it or anything. I sell my work for a
fraction of what I think it's worth and although sometimes I think I'm doing alright, there's
the times that I'm scraping by at best. I'd really love to just be able to live comfortably
and do what I love to do. I guess that's everybody's dream though. Ideally, I'd like to be
able to charge more, while spending more time on my work, but people around here don't
have that kind of money.

r.j.p: Do you feel more a sense of community with other artists or a sense of competition?

JM: I guess that depends on what artists I'm talking to. Generally, most people I interact
with are so supportive and just great people to talk shop and swap advice. But when I first
was getting started in the pop art world, I wrote emails to some of the people who I
thought were really cool pop artists, and every one of them were either mean, or just
didn't respond. It just made me want to get good enough to completely crush them. I'm
honestly not competitive at all though. I just want to do quality work, and somehow get
by at this game.

Artist’s Name: Joey Maas

Title: Jean Shrimpton [Lambretta Ad]
Media Used: Acrylic on Plywood
Size: 18” x 42”

JM: Jean Shrimpton (born 7 November 1942 in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire) is an

English Supermodel and actress. Nicknamed "The Shrimp", she was an icon of Swinging
Sixties London.
 Artist’s Name: Joey Maas
Title: Maila Nurmi / Vampira
Media Used: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 20” x 24”

r.j.p: This tribute to the wonderful camp-

horror character, created by Mrs. Nurmi
and her husband fittingly suits the 50’s
‘spooky’ style that has become a kitsch
classic.

JM: One of my first paintings ever was a

Vampira piece, but since I've always been
a huge fan, I really think she deserved
more than one attempt.

r.j.p: How do you market yourself?

JM: Actually, Facebook has been very useful, I've gotten a ton of commission work from
just posting up my paintings, but I try to post my work on as many websites as I can. Just
getting it out there is about all you can do when you're in my position. I try to paint
everyday, and sometimes go for 14 hours at a time, so it's sometimes hard to find time to
update all the sites. I'll usually have to take a day off just to update my online presence. I
also do a decent amount of promotion for my local exhibits, and right now I'm booked for
about the next six months.

r.j.p: Do you find it difficult to stay motivated / inspired?

JM: I haven't really yet. It's sometimes hard to get started, but once I'm working, it's
hard to stop. I do get burned out once in awhile, but it never seems to last long. I get a
certain satisfaction from standing back and looking at a piece I just finished. If nobody
ever saw my work, I'd still be doing this.

r.j.p: What do you think of the impact that social networks and digital print/publish
services have had as an alternate means of connecting you, your work and your audience?

JM: Like I mentioned before, Facebook has been a great way to get my work out there,
and meet really great people. I haven't done any print work yet, but I'm sure I'll give that
a shot in the future. It's obviously much easier to get your name out there via the web,
but I also think that it floods the market, and makes it much more difficult for hard
working people to get noticed.
Take deviantart.com for instance, you could post the most amazing piece of art ever
created, and nobody would see it because two-hundred people just posted their crayon
drawings of Miley Cyrus at the same time you did. I do miss the days, when you had to
get off your ass and make phone calls, go to the post office, type up press releases, and
actually do some work. I think that kinda thinned the herd a bit, and the people who
worked really hard were usually able to be seen and respected. Computers make people
lazy.

r.j.p: What other interests do you have, besides art?

JM: I'm really interested in learning to build furniture. Right now I'm hanging drywall in
my studio, and I plan on building just about every piece of furniture in it. There's even
going to be a small bar behind backlit frosted glass. It's going to be the most stylish mid-
century modern studio around.

Otherwise, I've been playing drums for over 20 years now, and I'm sure I'll keep doing that
for a while, but I'm not nearly as serious as I was about it in the past.

Artist’s Name: Joey Maas

Title: Sharon Tate
Media Used: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 20” x 20”

r.j.p: What I like about this beautiful

piece is that Joey conveys a vulnerable
and slightly ‘haunted’ quality to this
undeniably gorgeous yet tragic figure.

JM: I did a Sharon Tate piece awhile back that was a bit creepy looking, so i decided to
follow it up with something a little more classic. Check out my previous painting of Sharon,
it's quite different.

r.j.p: What advice would you have for a young artist starting out today?

JM: It sounds cliché, but "just do it", and don't let anybody tell you differently. If you
have the need to create, then that's something you have to do to feel complete. And if
nobody likes or really gets what you're doing, then that's their problem.
 Artist’s Name: Joey Maas
Title: The Start of a New Series
Media Used: Acrylic on Plywood
Size: 17” x 49”

r.j.p: A truly splendid piece. The elegant composition mixing a splash of spilled red wine,
against the shiny-black pumps gives a glimpse of one moment perhaps, in a wild romantic
tale [a night of passion?]

JM: I've been thinking of doing something a little different for a fashion series I'm working
on. These are my girlfriend's A.F. Vandervorst shoes she bought a while back. I'm not
sure what to call this one yet. Any suggestions? I have a few more ideas, including a
Swatch piece that I'm really excited about. I've been a huge fan of the classic style
Swatch watches since about 6th grade.

r.j.p: Do you have any big plans or shows coming up?

JM: Yeah, I have a bunch of local shows here in Portland, but I also have a group show in
San Francisco at the beginning of December, and a show in Seattle at The Elysian for
February and March. I lived in Seattle for like 12 years, and this will be my first art show
there ever. I'm really excited about it.

r.j.p: How would you like your art, and by extension yourself, to be remembered?

JM: Wow, I've never really thought about that. I guess I would just hope that I brightened
up somebody's home. ...And that it's worth billions so my wife and my family could
benefit from it.
 Artist’s Name: Joey Maas
Title: Rocket Girl
Media Used: Acrylic on Masonite
Size: 14” x 36”

r.j.p: This bright and vibrant piece

really stands out. The surreal aspect of
the 60’s model holding a rocket and
smiling as though she were a period
stewardess demonstrating how to use
the in-flight emergency air masks, or
an auto-show hostess unveiling the
latest fin-tailed V – 8 to roll out of
Detroit, lends a delightful absurdity to
the composition.

This piece was adapted by David

Marshall for the cover layout for this
month’s issue.

JM: In the original photo, she was

holding a really big pen. And although
I tend to use pens more than rockets,
I figured a rocket would be much more
interesting.

To follow Joey online, visit

J MAAS neo pop art

www.joeymaas.blogspot.com
by Larissa Gula
 Short Fiction

[graphics, logos & illustrations by r. j. paré]

Standing in his concrete living room, the Dream Wiz snapped his fingers clumsily while
overlooking the boiling collection of water mounted directly in the center of his rectangular
dwelling. On the farthest wall, a flat screen sat black, unneeded, and unused. The focus of
the Dream Wiz was his work, and his work was inside the water that boiled on its own.

Bubbles danced and clashed for their escape

inside of the black cauldron-like mounting;
within the masses of swirling opaque circles,
the worker known only by his title could see
the faces of clients he would serve
throughout his night shift.

For these clients, he had sacrificed a name.

He had sacrificed his identity through
fingerprints; he had none now. The boiling
water had claimed them, mutilated and
scabbed them over beyond recognition, on
his first day of work decades past.
The hazel eyes of the lanky, darkly and loosely clothed Dream Wiz fell upon one bubble
circling the center of his sight, reflecting in his glasses. A Marine tossed and turned as he
recalled the trauma of a mortal world’s war gone by; the Dream Wiz popped the Marine’s
bubble demurely with a long, narrow hand that paled in longing for a pat from sunlight.

The face disappeared with the popped bubble; somewhere, the Dream Wiz knew, a man
would rise from his bed in a sweaty tangle. He would spend half an hour calming his
heartbeat before he was able to solve the puzzling knot he had turned his sheets into.

He would be back, in all probability, after the Sandman took up his post and performed his
own duty to humanity. And then the Dream Wiz – short for ream Wizard – would repeat
the process of ending nightmares before the shadows drove the dreamer’s insane.

The Dream Wiz sighed, pulling back from his boiling water and
fanning his pale face; his glasses had fogged. He despised
when they fogged; when they fogged he had nothing to think
about but how he ended up in the basement of such a
company and his.

He worked in tandem with the beasts of the world. The

worshipped figures in worldwide cultures worked under one
name, the highest power that no one saw, only obeyed. On
the coastline of the America’s section of Supernatural Biology
Inc., the Dream Wiz and his brother focused on humanity’s
sleeping patterns.

His brother, Sandman, put the restless to sleep. The Dream

Wiz woke the restless. Through this system, forcing biological
forces to collide, each earned his paycheck and his right to
retain his powers.

Finally, the concrete wall reappeared; Dream Wiz looked towards another persistent bubble
that frothed and expanded with the emotion it contained. A small, facially scarred child
pounded her mutilated head against her bed’s pink pillow, looking for the comfortable spot
in her sleep, as if the reality of her bed could save her from the psychological reality she
faced. Her nightmare was an infiltrating maze: it tangled her thoughts, creating misfiring
neurons of disease. Her mouth gaped in silent screams.

Normal nightmares were not supposed to do that, the Dream Wiz knew. They were false
elaborations. They didn’t command misfiring in sleep.

Yet a part of her brain was at work. It was recalling. It was remembering. The nightmare
was real.

The Dream Wiz mourned with a sigh through his pale lips as he looked into the tiny girl’s
head through his bubbling water swirls. There was the overpowering image of a tall
shadow, a man perhaps?
No, the Dream Wiz shuddered – no, there was the strong curve of a hip no man possessed.
The shoulders were narrow, the Dream Wiz realized; yet their structure did not take away
from the viciousness of attitude and expectation the figure held. The outline of a knife in
her hand, a knife held as a weapon over the girl’s bruised naval at all times, gave away her
true nature. It was exactly the opposite of the expectations her figure gave.

The Dream Wiz’s hand remained hovering over the red-tinged bubble. Here was a
designated “Case” for the night, one that would make him bitterly curse his job, his
powers, and his family ever retaining their abilities and beginning the company he worked
for. He cursed the genes that gave him the specific profession of quelling nightmares and
sorting them into ones that needed addressing, and ones that would never occur again.

Here was a Case where the dreams were nothing other than repeating memories:
repeating under the covers, just as they would repeat outside of the bedroom every day.

It meant he would receive a visitor tonight.

Often ignored, wires ran from beneath the Dream Wiz’s boiling black cauldron to a
shimmering flat screen mounted on the far wall. Tonight, they awoke from a state of
technological Sleep. The Dream Wiz waited as what he saw translated into data, and as
what he saw was carried as a coded message from the base of the tub; the keyboard
beeped harshly across the room.

A copy of the message flashed across the dark screen. “Mute, abused child found. Bruises
on lower body. Visible parts of flesh missing; threats by use of knife seen in memory.
Summon Him. Set the scales.”

An old fashioned, bronze scale lifted itself from a corner of the room. It set its balance
alone, merely hovering above the Dream Wiz’s head and quivering in anticipation. He
attempted to ignore the jingling, the jangling, the excitement judgment brought the old
scales. The Dream Wiz felt no such euphoria at being put to
work.

The Dream Wiz allowed his stretched hand to sway and circle
away from its dominant target. Like a watchful falcon, it
searched for an easier target dream, one that would be brought
down without associated guilt.

His search for straightforward work came across the face of a

younger gentleman lying beside his fiancé. In sleep, he cringed
from the subconscious hurt in the memory of losing his high
school lover.

The Dream Wiz almost chuckled; if the persistent bubble with the face of the tortured little
girl had not been perched atop other bubbles and darkening to a violent magenta, he
would have smiled more broadly. This young gentleman’s love was only contained to the
past; it would be so inconvenient to have him utter the name of a quenched flame,
especially seeing as his new one sat beside him.
It was simple, straightforward. The Dream Wiz’s index finger reached for the small bubble.

“I heard my services are needed tonight.”

The Dream Wiz hesitated for the second time his night’s work; the bubble dissipated and
deflated beneath him of its own accord, the man already awake after receiving a slap on
the backside from the volume of Tolkien his wife had been reading. The young man’s well-
being was beyond the Dream Wiz’s hands now.

“Yes, cousin, unfortunately there is work for you tonight,” The Dream Wiz responded,
already forgetting about the young man.

The voice behind the Dream Wiz morphed

into a skeletal presence overlooking the
boiling liquid inside of the black tub beside
him. It hissed lowly in silent pondering.

The Dream Wiz avoided looking at what he

believed, what his own body perceived, was
a walking pile of bones underneath
transparent skin in a suit.

“Remind me how we got into these professions of ours?” the skeletal presence grumbled.
“Of all the jobs on the international market, from all the jobs in our own company…we had
to be born qualified for this. This, one of the select few positions that involve judgments we
were never truly qualified to give…”

“…even when we believed we were qualified, even when we believed genetics held all of
the answers to where we would go and who we would influence,” the Dream Wiz finished
for his nameless and skeletal cousin.

He destroyed the face of a pregnant teenager recalling the force of a man upon her. The
man was in prison now. She had nothing to fear and had no reason to be examined and
questioned as a “Case”. She, the Dream Wiz at least knew, was a face that deserved to
wake up and seek comfort from the roommate beside her in the darkness of their college
dorm. It was not complicated for him, at least.

“So…what must I lose my own sleep over now?” the other asked darkly between brittle,
darkening teeth. The Dream Wiz could picture the jaw line cracking underneath the skin; if
he bothered to look he feared he would actually find he could see the jaw bone itself
splintering in plain sight beneath the skin.

The Dream Wiz’s hand floated back to the night’s dreaded bubble, now a brilliant shade of
deep crimson. The mouth of the child within was gaped in a silent scream.

“Oh, dear…this is the mute child?” the nameless cousin asked; the skeleton seemed to
have a working organ after all, if the pity in his voice measured up to emotional standards.
“Mute, abused, and lonely.” The Dream Wiz recited the information he gathered by
infiltrating dreams and memories in a hollow voice of confirmation. “Ten years old. She has
never spoken, never had a friend who was not a flea-ridden, third hand stuffed animal.
Never made it to public school. Scars from abuse and cutting alike are torturous. They
cause her more pain because of improper healing.”

The cousin rolled a glass orb between finger bones wrapped in thin layers of flesh-like
imitations.

Orb man, the Dream Wiz thought coldly. The nickname never stuck when they were
children together in their company’s greenhouse parks, dreaming of the day their un-
channeled, untrained powers would make a difference on their planet.

He would never utter such a name to ruin the sway this cousin had now; no name at all
conveyed terror incredibly efficiently amongst the underground and supernatural market.

“What would you do if you ever dropped their life prematurely?” the Dream Wiz presently
asked as he followed the pink orb with his eyes; it was an excuse to avoid his cousin’s own
empty orbits.

“I wouldn’t.”

The Dream Wiz bit his dry and swollen tongue; his cousin always did have a cocky,
arrogant side sitting alongside the philosophical.

“So. If she dies in her sleep…” the nameless cousin began.

“No more abuse. No more limping because her left leg did not heal properly and no surgery
was ever provided. No lifetime of therapy and useless pills that no healthcare system would
possibly take on in its state. If our Seer’s notes about the next century are true, this won’t
change.”

The Dream Wiz looked over the poor face in the bubble, scarred with chunks of fleshy
cheek and nose missing.

His glasses needed adjusted, he realized. He didn’t move. The bronze scale hovering above
both workers had silently weighed the listed factors as the Dream Wiz spoke.

“No day down the aisle, either…”

“Ahem,” the Dream Wiz heard his unwanted visitor huff. The scales uttered a clang of
disapproval over such an un-objective statement.

“If she dies, the human courts will prosecute the mother and her black market prostitute
ring. That will never happen until police get a clue,” the Dream Wiz sadly proclaimed.

The left scale of Life was hanging high above, reaching for the ceiling; the weight of the
right side of Death’s reasons was threatening to fall onto the Dream Wiz’s head.
“If she dies it will be more blood on our hands…” the Dream Wiz sniffed, finally adjusting
his glasses.

Nothing tipped. Nothing moved. Nothing uttered a single sound. The scales adamantly sat
in resolved decision, a decision made by the mysterious forces that ran the entire
company.

“Very well.” The nameless cousin frowned.

He had the respect to close his bottomless eyes (a thin membrane slid over the pit holes in
his skull) as he tipped his hand.

The orb rolled to the floor and shattered with a tiny breath of air as its inside contents
scattered into the faint drafts in the room.

The shards of glass disappeared, evaporating as the Dream Wiz’s little girl sighed and
smiled inside the raging red bubble; her memories had become a new set of dreams grass
beneath her crippled feet. She had never touched grass. It felt so good – smooth, even in
the fiber stems that were meant to be course.

Flowers she had never smelled anywhere before tickled a nose that was fully formed again.
A puppy she didn’t remember from her mother’s baby shower (what had the woman done
with it? the Dream Wiz shuddered in his room) frolicked at her feet. It barked, yipping and
calling for the girl to laugh with a reclaimed voice and buttercup breath. She ran, playing,
trying to catch the puppy that led her…

The girl’s bubble paled through a rainbow,

from the harsh red dimmed to a mild
green.

The opaque form once a bubble sunk into

the tub, taking the smiling face of the
traveling soul with it. The girl’s journey was
now in the hands of yet another company
worker, who would lead her to its director,
and to her final resting place.

Left in the basement, watching their work

slip from the cauldron, were two workers
who stood side by side; wondering how
they would ever pay the bloody debt these
nightmares had accumulated.

fin
by Sam van der Wouden from her Tuyter Gallery Collection
 Non – Fiction?

The Last Footsteps

to 2012
by C.S. Cartier

RECAP:
RKYV #35 – Intro to Last footsteps to 2012
RKYV #37 – Last footsteps to 2012: Theory One - Coronal Mass Ejection
RKYV #40 – Last footsteps to 2012: Theory Two - Death from Above

Theory Three – Magnetic Pole Shift - part 1

There is so much about our existence and our own history that is unclear. We can
speculate, and theorize about the facts know to us, but ultimately all details are only
interpretations and open to the investigators as some specifics are never recovered or re-
learned. I have been presenting some science facts mixed with some theories to report on
different scenarios that can manifest according to doomsayers. The Mayan Calendar’s end
sparked a plethora of dire predictions from massive coronal ejections to asteroid
Armageddon. Let us now take a look at something that is not an outside threat but
something that is inside and what makes this graver is that this prediction has already
happened. What is further more interesting, I believe that if the findings are accurate that
this physical aspect is a natural planetary function just as natural as volcanoes or
earthquakes and further it is probably responsible for the dinosaur extinction. Let us look
at the specifics so we all understand the science behind the words.
 I believe it was grade five when I learned the
structure of the planet we call Earth. Starting
at the center we have the Inner followed by
the Outer core. The Earth’s core (a solid inner
and liquid outer) starts about 2900 kilometres
down, give or take. They are primarily iron
and nickel; some believe perhaps a form of
iron crystal. Encompassing the Core is the
Earth’s Mantle which is the thickest layer of
the planet that is composed of mostly silicate
rocks rich in iron and magnesium. Some may
believe that the mantle is liquid, it is in fact
solid. High temperatures cause the silicate material to be adequately ductile explaining the
movement of tectonic plates. If you think that the mantle is hot liquid magma, the
science is more complicated as these cases are caused by hot spots to simplify.
Temperature and pressure in the areas of the hot spot punch a hole in the crust to vent the
vent the massive energy built up. The crust that I refer to is the outermost layer; thinnest
at the oceanic crust (5-10 km) and thickest on the continental crust (5-70 km).

Now, let us break down physical attributes of the planet. Look at any globe, nearly
everyone has, and you can point out the North and South Pole. In doing this, you would
be WRONG. The planet has a magnetic field (MF) and it is this magnetic field that
determines where the poles are located. It is the MF that determines so much about the
planet that all life depends on it. For example, it is the MF that controls that amount of
radiation from the sun. So where is the North Pole? The answer is going to surprise you,
for your question is inadequately asked. The proper question should be where is the North
Pole today? That is right; it is moving… and moving considerably, nearly 40 miles a year.
This is the, pardon the pun, the core of the next theory. It is the essence of probably so
many environmental changes and explains way more than we know.
Scientists are scrambling to understand why the Magnetic poles are moving and what it will
ultimately mean. Well, most adults know that explanations are usually saved for the after
because hindsight is 20/20. Our planet is clearly going through changes. I personally do
not think it is because of industry and the depleting ozone (well, not primarily). Earth’s
weather is dependent on our magnetic field.

Why the movement? Our Magnetic Field is created from the liquid outer core moving
around an iron center. I am dumbing down the science, but that is essentially how it is
created. The uppermost part of the core is charged and the lowermost has the opposite
charge. Clearly our centered core is moving in its liquid bath. Currently we are seeing
little movements. There is however strong evidence that the surface of our planet — the
thin skin called the “crust” — has suddenly shifted greatly in the past. While the Earth
remained in its normal axis, this shift caused entire continents and oceans to move,
changing climates and altering entire ecosystems and weather patterns. Let us
remember, scientist and historians believe that this particular event has happened in the
past.

Sudden shifts have a place in our history. Proof and possible repercussions will follow, in
‘Part Two’ of this theory, in the next awesome issue of RKYV.
by Larissa Gula
 Poetry
 Editor’s Note: The first three sketches included with this month’s poetry
submissions are by L A Raven. They are part of a series of 15 min caricatures she is
doing as $10.00 commissions upon request. For more info or to order your
caricature, contact the artist via facebook: http://www.facebook.com/l.a.raven

Selected Poem
by Larissa Gula
Newspaper Walls…
…are poster replacements. Rather
than advertise the newest movie,

clippings and printed, wordy reports

take over the eye. They force viewers

to read and absorb the opinion

of another human, one who’s desperate

to hold and cling to his job like

the rest of us. Problem is:

the reader never bothers to question

what is slapped on the walls anymore.

Jennie Jackson – by L A Raven

Selected Poem
by Wanda VanHoy Smith
TREES AND SEAS
Two vastly important things in life
are trees and seas.
How would the cartoon that is Superman,
in his own mind, exist without either one?
The architect that designed the green planet
was a genius with the brush of an artist.
With more imagination than Walt Disney,
the creator covered land with sparkling oceans
where sea horses glide among florescent coral
and forests of kelp wave tall as palm trees.
A home where whale roam
Where seals play and dolphin dance all day.
Where too many doomed lobster are trapped
and die smothered in butter.
Trees should have mouths and tongues to
protest the act of clear cutting, a heartless
genocide of old growth evergreens.
Kass Grant – by L A Raven
See a red eyed frog weep in a teak tree in the
rain forest because they are cutting down his
home along with a canopy of trees that shelter
neighbourhood birds so cattle can graze to
feed the greed of corporate steak houses.
Welcome to Burger King and Sizzler.
Giant Redwood trees don't fear lightning and
thunder but tremble at the sound of a chainsaw.
Treasured for their age and size they know why
Christ said, “ Forgive them.
They know not what they do.”
Why do Mother Earth’s children
poison the seas and desecrate the trees
like a child scribbling on pretty hall
wallpaper with crayons.
Selected
Poem
by C.S. Cartier

Michelle Spicer – by L A Raven>

… the town where all the flowers die…

in the eye of hope
you see me stalk the wild laughter
that embarks into the jungle of desire

stab me with a glare that permeates

the same gentleness that I’d expect
and anticipate from your soft fertile soul

the hope is real, but your heart is not ready for the continuants
you whisper for my touch knowing full well
you cannot handle such pleasure or such commitments

the soil is not spoiled by the existence

of the hollowness of my desire but maybe the proximity
my yearning simply makes it less rancid in my mind

buried deep within the earth is the resolution

tomorrow, all questions will be answered
my wish is that the answer will not be a question

they will not solve the oxymoron you have come to expect
the truth is an enigma rapped in lies and mislead by actual truth
RUN…
SCREAM…
CRY…
BEG…
…that is the order of things
it is my will verses the truth and my will…
has survived as a dream and will never evolve into anything more
you can never live up to such things, no one could

the hunt has evolved my state,

I have become one with the hunted and I can taste
the salty sweat paste that crusts the corners of my mouth

How bitter is that?

Did you not know,

this is the town where All the Flowers die?
The dry arid sand lies beneath the shallow rich dirt
It is a noose like poison wrapped as tightly as the beautiful colors on the peddles
The pungent, luscious aroma of nature’s true bud is sour
rivers of blood instead of breath, ugliness where once innocence
the power of the almighty could not elevate the seeds of life
for as I have told you, not even I, could will it right

follow the instinct to survive, follow the truth…

you should not be here…
the truth is, we are all flowers
and this is the town were flowers never grow…
our suicide by hope and dreams

written by… one that knows

pallid bloom – by r. j. paré>

Poetic Perspectives
by r. j. paré

the repo man

We’re debt addled consumer sheep
led down the primrose path
of low, low, LOW payments!

…enticing, seductive & fraudulent

Once our earnings actually

accumulated with grace
against oft feared ‘rainy-days’

Now we feign ignorance, when the phone rings

Now we hide, when the door knocks

Lest we bleet as our savings

are slaughtered with interest
they will quote our contracts

…voluminous, obtuse, yet ironclad

These doodads, trinkets and toys

enjoy them while you can
until arrives, the Repo Man.

what value?
– by r. j. paré

<Terminology
– by James ‘Jig-One’ Titman
Award winning painting in the Circle of Life Gallery Show – by Giovanni Medina
 Pop Culture
Comic Book Review
by Brad Bellmore

RASL

Thumb mostly up.

RASL by Jeff Smith is surprising comic. Surprising

in that it seems to be flying under the radar. Jeff
Smith is the paragon of independent comics,
publishing Bone with great success over a very
long period of time. Given that success, I find it
odd that RASL is not gaining rabid notoriety. I
suppose independent is still independent despite
the creator’s fame, especially when the big
publishers still dominate the shelves at comic book
stores.

In fairness, I must admit that I’m a huge Jeff Smith fan, so hopefully that hasn’t biased my
review too much. But I don’t apologize for that either because his talent and skill are the
reason I’m such a huge fan. For those of you who like Bone, this isn’t Bone. The style is
similar but this is more on the darker side of what Bone delivered and it is more grown up.
A lot more grown up. Nudity grown up. That said, this isn’t Sin City either.

The basic story follows Dr. Robert Johnson, a scientist who, as a U.S. Government
employee developed a means for inter-dimensional travel. Deciding this was too dangerous
for the military, he destroyed the lab and took the “portable” model and hit the road. The
device includes a Native American ceremonial mask and what looks like two six foot long
jet engines. Now that he is on the lam, he goes by the tag RASL and uses the device to
fund his “disappearance”. He does this by jumping dimensions, stealing original works of
art and returning here to sell them to private collectors. RASL finds himself being chased
through the drift by a lizard-faced assassin named Sal.

This is an awesome story. Bits and pieces of how the device was developed get sprinkled
along the way, giving us the science without slowing down the fiction, hinting at what
might truly be the danger of this technology. There is also the tension of the chase with the
hunter on his tail. There are lost loves, new loves and even newer loves that are echoes of
the lost loves. This is a wonderfully layered tale with plenty of hooks to keep you wanting
the next issue.
The art is classic Smith. Like. The people have
a similar look, but not quite as cartoony. There
is steaminess to them but also realness. There
is something about his people that remind me
of someone I’ve met before.

You can get this directly from Jeff Smith at his

website www.boneville.com if you can‘t find it
at your local comic store. He already has two
trade editions of the story available as well as
the regular periodical version. Check it out. I
think you will enjoy the read.

Manga Maximus
by Darke Raven

This week we go to nearly 1000 words but we're not

covering a title as much as the body of work of a
single company. The short life and times of Realbuzz
Studios (2005 to 2008), one of the first innovative
Christian Manga publishers I have seen which (sadly)
to date has not been matched by any other publisher
in the genre in terms of originality, innovation or solid
storytelling.

Today’s Experiment: Realbuzz Studios’ mangas of 2005 to 2008 Couplers Volumes 1 to 2

(3 to 4 unpublished), Goofyfoot Gurl Volumes 1 to 5 (6 unpublished), Hits and Misses
(Volumes 1 to 4 unpublished) and Serenity Volumes 1 to 10 (possible 3rd series
unpublished).

When I was coming up with a topic of things to be thankful for I thought long and hard
over it, then suddenly inspiration hit in the most unlikely of ways when I was looking for
emangas to review only to find that a new company had leaped into the fray of publishing
Christian style manga… that’s when my thoughts went back to the last company that tried,
the little company that could, Realbuzz Studios, and I knew what I would be thankful for… I
am thankful that this company existed, if only for a brief time, to show what a really well
thought out and crafted all ages manga could be that not only could appeal to Christian
readers but readers of all ages, walks and, yes, even beliefs (if my first looks at this new
company’s wares are any indication they are no Realbuzz and are a long way from
achieving what Realbuzz did).
From 2005 to 2008 Realbuzz Studios were publishing
Christian themed mangas that actually had that bit of appeal
that could go well past its target audience. Finely written
(with the exception of last series Couplers), drawn and
crafted, these series each had their own approach, flavour,
and pace and yet could easily be recommended to a wider
audience than it’s original target audience of Christian youths
for their strong vibrant presentation, well crafted stories and
smart snappy characters and content… again, though, with
the exception of Couplers. However in 2008 the company
finally sank into court and was eviscerated, which sucked
because it left several series unfinished (and one, Hits and
Misses, unpublished completely), and it’s fate to this day is a
sad reminder of how a company could strive to be so great
yet still end up falling so short in the end.

It all started in 2005 when Realbuzz first launched with their

premiere title Serenity with then first publisher Barbour.
Serenity was the story of Serenity Harper, a rather wild child
who moved to a new school after being booted from the old
only to find herself the unwilling pet project of said school’s
bible study group… who quickly after a series of
misadventures grow on Serenity (and her on them in turn)
making this rag tag band of do-gooders her new friends (and
vice versa) by the end of the series run in Volume 6.

However the writing was on the wall already for Realbuzz

and by the time Phase 2 of the company sprung to life they
had already moved to their second home with Thomas
Nelson in 2007. Not only did they re-launch the original six
volume run of Serenity they also added four new volumes,
which would have published with Barbour until a separate
banner title of Serenity: Lights Camera Action with a flip
book format, one side being the story of the gang as they
delved into the world of independent film making (and the
drama in their lives as they dove into each film), and the
other featuring the movie of the volume they worked on
(complete).

The second title, Goofyfoot Gurl, was probably the least

Christian slash religiously influenced. While Serenity had a
ton of religious overtones and influences this title it’s barely
noticeable (or so subtly put into the title that it’s not right in
your face yet can be noted if you look for it). The story of
friends who mix surf, sun and the drama of their own lives
highlight this wonderfully assembled tale of catching the
perfect wave, and getting through life’s little hiccups with a
little help from one’s friends.

Four volumes ran in 2007, with an additional two running in

2008... more or less.
Finally third title, launched at the twilight of the
company, Couplers, took on a rather strange Space
Opera tone talking about a multigenerational ship of
human survivors seeking a new home, while facing a
threat from a race of cybernetics called the R.A.T…
however the series was flawed by a real lack of depth
or story element which made the entire Space Opera
thing seem shallow and pointless without any real
storytelling depth of a better done series (the original
Star Wars trilogy for instance). Also while the R.A.T.
first appeared in Volume 2 their “threat’ was never
really delved into and before the series could go any
further into it’s story (or develop further into why the
R.A.T. was a threat) the series ended prematurely
with only two volumes out.

In fact post the collapse of Realbuzz two series were

left dangling. Besides Couplers (which had Volumes 3
to 4 done but never published), Goofyfoot Gurl was
left hanging in mid story arc with Volume 6 to be
published (leaving the cast on a road trip to Florida
which is still a dangling story line yet to be finished).
Additionally one series, Hits and Misses (a Serenity
style series with a softball twist), never even
launched with four volumes done but never printed.

But that was 2008, 17 volumes published, 7 left unpublished and one to two series (a third
Volume of Serenity books and a spin-off with one of the girls of the bible study group going
to college) left on the drawing board. Will they ever return? Make a comeback and finish
what they started? Who can say? But even with praise from Stan Lee himself praising the
company for its hip contemporary way they never seemed to have a chance not even
lasting one year in each home before being driven out for one reason or another. Do I want
to see them return?

Yes. Will they? Who can say?

Stay tuned.

Next month? We end the year with my new favourite,

Sunshine Sketch aka Hidamari Sketch.

 Raised on
Saturday Morning
Cartoons
by Pauline Paré

WORLDWIDE ZOMBIE
TELEVISION EPIDEMIC?
AWESOME!
There are zombies everywhere! Don’t panic. This
is a good thing. On Halloween night, AMC
premiered it’s much anticipated series “The
Walking Dead” to great reviews. With 5.8 million
viewers it premiered with the best ratings AMC
has ever had for a pilot.

The Walking Dead is based on the graphic novel

of the same name, written by Robert Kirkman
(who will be penning the 4th episode).

The series is set in a zombie apocalypse, a common theatrical theme, but is able to
examine the character reactions to this horror in a way that a movie is unable. In the first
instalment we see Rick Grimes revive from a waking coma to find himself in a completely
new and terrible world. He sets off to find his wife and child in the start of a most amazing
adventure. The acting is terrific and the action is great and well paced. There are enough
breaks between the horrors to explore the characters reactions to this new, hellish world.
The entire series is filmed in 16mm film giving it a lush, cinematic appearance. It is a relief
to see the material presented in such a serious fashion. There is one scene with a sweeping
view of cloth wrapped bodies lined up in the parking lot of the hospital that is quite
moving. The storytelling is quite engrossing and emotional, as well as performed to
perfection by an amazing cast. Brit actor, Andrew Lincoln, plays the lead and I was happy
to see Lennie James in the first episode. I have been a fan of his work ever since Jericho.
As most AMC series, the writing is way above par. This season will be only 6 episodes long
but “future seasons”, should The Walking Dead be renewed, would be 13 episodes long,
according to executive producer Gale Anne Hurd.

While the concept of the zombie

apocalypse is unique as a series
concept, there was a BBC zombie
series released previously, in
2008. The series consisted of 5
half hour episodes (2.5 hours
total). The premise of the series
is that a zombie epidemic breaks
out during the filming of Big
Brother leaving the contestant
trapped in the house with no idea
just what is happening outside
their doors.

The series is comical at times and frightening at others. While the production quality is not
nearly as good as The Walking Dead, Dead Set is a fun way to spend 2 ½ hours.

So now that zombies have invaded our

television, what comes next? There was a
rumour that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
was going to be made into a miniseries but
upon further research, I found that will not
likely be the case. A major motion picture is in
the works as well as a video game but nothing
for television. I personally would like to see
“Fido” (2006) turned into a series for a more
comical look at the zombie phenomenon. So if
you look out your window and see zombies
wandering around the streets, you are most
likely living in one of the dozens of cities that
have adopted an annual zombie walk.

If you want to enjoy zombie fun the other 364

days for the year, keep tuned to your television
for the newest zombie apocalypse!